Having recently completed my 40th year as a card-carrying journalist, I feel compelled to share the one small nugget of wisdom I have gleaned from all those misspent hours hanging out with mayors, governors, legislators and other ne’er-do-wells of elected office. They are not all the same. This will shock some of you, I know, but like other human beings, they range from truly nice people to miserable jerks. This is not a matter of political viewpoint, age or gender. Awful people come in al

Three South Koreans were gone early from the men's 1,000m short track speed skating event at Beijing 2022 on Monday, with one suffering an injury in a collision and two others penalized for causing contact with other skaters. Hwang Dae-heon, the world record holder in the event, crossed the line first in his semifinal heat at Capital Indoor Stadium but was disqualified for making "an illegal late passing" that caused contact. Hwang was in the middle of the pack before moving out into

With a stunning late fall, South Korean short track speed skater Choi Min-jeong was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the women's 500m at Beijing 2022 on Monday, as the two-time Olympic champion has now gone 0-for-2 in her medal quest here. Choi finished fourth out of five skaters in her quarterfinal heat at Capital Indoor Stadium with a time of 1:04.939. The top two skaters from four quarterfinal heats and the two-fastest third-place skaters advanced to the semifinals. Choi was in second pla

South Korean police have launched an investigation into a fight between two gangs at a funeral in North Jeolla Province, it said Monday. According to the North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency, two gangs got into a fight at the funeral of a former triad member held in Iksan around 2 a.m. Sunday. Police officers were dispatched after local police received a call from a citizen who had witnessed the brawl. But the involved parties had already fled the scene before the officers arrived, accordin

South Korea’s top financial regulator has contracted COVID-19, the Financial Services Commission said Monday. Financial Services Commission Chairman Koh Seung-beom tested positive for the novel coronavirus before noon despite having received three doses of a vaccine, the FSC said in a statement. Koh has no plans to be hospitalized at the moment and is currently self-isolated at home. He has yet to show any signs of severe symptoms, according to the FSC. The financial regulator has supp

Treasure will be holding its first standalone concert in Seoul for two days in April, announced label YG Entertainment on Monday. 　 The set list includes “Jikjin,” the main track from its upcoming album and feature performances by subunits. The concert will be an opportunity to see that the band has grown in musical capabilities and expanded its spectrum, said the management firm. 　 The band is coming out with its first EP “The Second Step: Chapter One” on Feb. 15. The

Wonpil of boy band Day6 welcomed the second month of the year by hopping onto the February music chart craze with his first-ever solo album. The singer-turned-soloist’s album, “Pilmography,” which dropped Monday evening, touches on the different colors of music and emotions. The frosty winter-themed 10-track package aims to “comfort and heal people, especially among times of trouble,” the singer said during an online press conference held Monday. The versatile

The last two years of the pandemic in South Korea have been punctuated by similar, preventable tragedies, and this will stop with Yoon Suk-yeol as president, according to his top COVID-19 adviser. Dr. Jung Ki-suck, who served as the director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2016-17 in the immediate aftermath of the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak, joined the main opposition People Power Party candidate’s campaign in December. On his role as the c